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Music Education, and Why it Matters by Kilian Duarte
Meet Killian Duarte –
As a former bass instructor, people ask me what relevance music education has in today’s world. Among the group of students I had in the music store I worked at in Florida, those who were opposed to learning theory and advanced techniques usually would begin their argument by elaborating on the state of the modern music industry. “Nobody cares about that stuff, it doesn’t matter anymore” or “If I learn theory my creativity will go away”. And while I can’t really deny that for “popular” music, the proficiency bar has gone down in general. If anyone wants to play an instrument professionally, they need to know how the language of music works. No bandleader will hire a bass player who doesn’t know his fingerboard anymore than any publisher would hire a writer who didn’t know his verbs from his nouns. Advanced knowledge in a field is a sign of professionalism wherever you go in life. It is the standard to which all pros are held, and all it takes is patience and a good work ethic. Music can be the most fun activity that one can partake in as long as they have the patience to actually work on it.
There are many different types of musicians in the professional or even recreational fields, but the ones that complain the most about formal lessons and theory are songwriters. A lot of songwriters many times are afraid of formal lessons because they fear what was simply an emotional expression will be replaced with technical frustration and a loss of a muse. But here’s the reality check that I came across a long time ago while I was teaching bass. A person either has a drive to try and be the best musician they can be, or they are just looking for a fun hobby. If a person has the music in their head, and has the motivation to make it come to life, knowing what a C Maj7 chord is will only help them, and in no way hurt them. While times are tough, and paying for bass lessons may not be a financial priority, if you are serious, try and find a teacher. If you are lucky enough to find a great bass player that is also patient and understanding to what you need to learn, it will be worth every penny. Try and explore as many music publications as you can. Don’t just go to bass magazines; be open to any publication on any instrument or genre that delves into some sort of constructive musical subject matter. As far as lessons go, I highly suggest one hour lessons over half hour lessons. In my experience, you actually have the time to absorb the information and really understand what you are being sent home to practice. Having an educated ear and knowledge of harmony greatly reduces the chance of musically “getting caught with your pants down”, a quite embarrassing scenario that can bruise ones self-confidence while performing or recording.
Nothing of worth ever happens without hard work, and in a society strongly based on instant gratification; patience becomes a very valuable virtue. Thirty years ago, if a site like YouTube existed, and people had the means to access it as they do today, many of today’s virtuosos would probably be breathing a huge sigh of relief as well as jumping for joy for all of the free exposure. Players today have far less excuses as far as being ignorant to musical information.
I am fully aware that I was fortunate to get a scholarship to Berklee, and that I’m even luckier to have had such a great opportunity to advance my knowledge. But even if you do not have these advantages, the Internet is filled with free information to let you know almost anything you desire. Being educated opens the opportunity for you to play with proper technique, read music, know your fingerboard, and develop a great ear…things no musician should be without. It’s all about those moments when you can play your instrument and it’s no longer cerebral, but spiritual and truly a joy. You will then know where all your hard work went.
Keep on playing guys 🙂
Kilian Duarte
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Photo: Self-portrait by Melissa Auf Der Maur
Melissa Auf Der Maur is a Canadian bassist who played with Tinker, Hole, and The Smashing Pumpkins. She released her own work and is a photographer with photos published in Nylon, Bust, and National Geographic. She released her ‘90s Rock Memoir “Even The Good Girls Will Cry” on 17 March 2026.
KB: Did you always want to be a singer-musician growing up?
I’ve played music my whole life. In school, I played trumpet and sang in a children’s choir, so music was always within me. My mother was the first female disc jockey on the Montreal airwaves; her record collection played a huge role in my inspiration and love of music.
KB: When did you start playing bass, and why this instrument?
When I was 19, the early 90s music explosion began to percolate in tiny clubs around the world. I was lucky to be a ticket girl at Montreal’s underground music club. In one year, I saw Hole, Sonic Youth, Smashing Pumpkins, White Zombie, and The Breeders – all had female bass players. That’s when the seed was planted. By the age of 22, I was the bass player of Hole.
KB: Which brands of basses have you used in your career, and which one are you using now?
The first bass that I learned on was a vintage Squier Precision. Hole was sponsored by Fender guitars, so I upgraded to Fender Custom Shop Precisions. That is all I play, but I have a cool vintage 8-string Greco that I use on recordings to thicken up guitar parts.
KB: What equipment do you use or have you used with your basses?
Ampeg SVT amps and cabinets, a couple of Sans-Amp pedals, and that is it.
KB: How did you become a member of Hole, and what is your fondest memory of that time?
Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins was helping scout a replacement for (RIP) Kristen Pfaff, Hole’s bass player. My band, Tinker, opened for them on the Siamese Dream tour, so Billy had seen me play and could vouch for me. Courtney trusted her talented friend, and that was it. I initially said “no thank you” due to my commitment to my photographic studies and the drama and chaos surrounding the band during the “Live Through This” album release. Courtney took it as a good sign that I said no, so convinced me to reconsider, and soon after, I accepted their invitation, in the name of helping put females in the male-dominated landscape of rock music. My fondest memory is every show we played as a mostly female band, symbolizing what a woman could do in a rock band. Every show had a purpose: get more women to play music.
KB: You are a photographer as well. What makes a great picture? Do you shoot in color or b/w?
I started shooting photographs at age 15. Initially only shot black & white and worked in the art school darkroom. In university, I took a color photography course, and shifted mostly and forever to that, because it was easier to process film on the road when I joined a rock band. I experimented with many cameras, point and shoots, manual, polaroids, medium format, and vintage finds. The trick to a good photograph is to shoot many and all the time – the magic is in the edit and selection process.
KB: Are there artists you would love to collaborate with or wish you had?
??I’ve been lucky to collaborate with some of my favorite musicians in my career. I would still love to collaborate with a new generation heavy electronic artist on an analog bass, heavy electronic drums, and synths collaboration project. Take me out of my usual zone, merging the past and future: my love of 80s dark new wave and new artists exploring that genre. It was very futuristic back then, and we are now, after all, living in the future. I am in the mood to play bass to heavy beats I want to dance to.
KB: What are your 7 favorite bass lines in music across all genres? And why these 7?
“Mountain Song” – Jane’s Addiction (love a rambling, rolling bass line – feels like the ocean waves)
“Black Top – Helmet” (was the first bass line I taught myself)
“Gold Dust Woman” – Hole from “The Crow 2” Soundtrack (it was my first bass line contribution to the band)
“Get Ready” – The Temptations (Motown just feels so good, because of the bass)
“Lucretia My Reflection” – Sisters of Mercy (makes me want to hit the dance floor and play bass simultaneously)
“Be My Druidess” – Type O Negative (full chord bass playing at its best by iconic, demonic, Peter Steele, RIP)
“Romantic Rights” – Death from Above (1979 – unique distorted overdriven tone, combined dance rhythm and melodic intelligence, all in one shot – also! Shout out to a bass & drum only band, which is awesome, and we should have more of, but the bass player needs to be a killer to fill that role.
KB: What are you currently up to?
Releasing my ‘90s Rock Memoir “EVEN THE GOOD GIRLS WILL CRY”. Visceral healing process, it was to get it out of me and write it, but I suspect the real magic will begin by putting it into the world and reflecting with others on what the magic of the ‘90s was all about. Powerful music decade that carried us into what is now a brave new world of digital corporate weirdness – may the past shed a light on our future. That’s my hope for this book release and tour.
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